Sangria

For me, the perfect sangria is a refreshing fruity beverage that you can sip for hours over lunch under the hot Spanish sun and when you get up you fall over. With this in mind (and consulting many Spaniards on it over the years), this is how I make sangria:

A bottle of full bodied red wine -Spanish obviously preferable

A glass of brandy – again let’s stick with a Spanish coñac

A glass of triple sec

A whole lotta (but not too much) orange juice

Slices of fruit – whatever is handy

Lots of ice

Mix together with thirsty friends (wearing cool shirts!), food on the grill, a dry evening and kids now old enough to occupy themselves in the pool and you get a successful evening - though no-one fell over when they got up from the table.